Heritage Health Normal Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys
Thanks to the aging Baby Boomer generation, there has been, well, a boom in the elder care industry in recent years. This has been most significantly indicated by the influx of seniors entering assisted living and similar care facilities. Record numbers of new residents are vying for bed space at senior living facilities, and new nursing homes are being built all the time.
Unfortunately, these facilities have been straining under this pressure for some time. Staffing shortages frequently contribute to this strain, forcing nursing homes to operate while understaffed or with the help of unqualified staff members as they struggle to meet the demand for specialized nursing care and assistance with daily living activities for elderly residents.
These kinds of pressures create an environment that fosters neglect and abuse. Both overworked and poorly trained employees make dangerous mistakes when too much is expected of them, or they take out their frustration on vulnerable, defenseless residents. Instead of being compassionate, professional caregivers, they become impatient, apathetic, or even predatory.
Elder abuse and neglect has become a serious problem in American nursing homes. Residents and their families expect the highest standards of care at such facilities, but when staff members are not qualified or there are not enough staff to meet the needs of residents, the risk of abuse and neglect rises, and people get hurt.
No one deserves subpar medical and personal care, least of all our senior citizens. At Levin & Perconti, we make it our goal to reveal the truth behind these failing assisted living facilities and fight for the rights of nursing home abuse victims and their families. Through continual research, we seek to identify both thriving and struggling Illinois nursing homes and educate you on how to reduce the chance that your loved one comes to harm in assisted living.
About Heritage Health Normal
509 North Adelaide St
Normal, IL 61761
(309) 452-7468
Heritage Health Normal is a large facility with 141 beds that offers long-term and intermediate nursing care through onsite physical, occupational, speech, and respiratory therapies. The facility also features an Alzheimer’s care unit.
Heritage Health Normal has curiously mixed ratings. While it has an outstanding Much Above Average quality measures rating and an Above Average staffing rating, it still received a dismal Much Below Average health inspection rating. Combined, these ratings result in a disappointing overall rating of Below Average.
For a better idea of what life is like at a facility with the lowest possible health inspection rating, we can read the most recent health inspection report for Heritage Health Normal on medicare.org. Reading health inspection reports can give you more insight into the quality of care residents at a given nursing home receive. Below is a sample of the deficiencies found at Heritage Health Normal.
12/06/2018 Failure to provide and implement an infection prevention and control program. Staff failed to wash hands after providing catheter care and a dressing change for a resident. A CNA removed the gloves used during urinary catheter care on a resident but did not perform hand washing before entering another resident’s room to provide care there. A nurse then came to perform pressure ulcer treatment on the first resident and also failed to wash hands after going to another room.
12/06/2018 Failure to keep residents’ personal and medical records private and confidential. The facility failed to provide personal privacy during wound care treatment for a resident. A nurse and CNA failed to use the privacy curtain while performing pressure ulcer care for a resident, leaving the resident’s buttocks viewable to the resident’s roommate and people in the hallway.
12/06/2018 Failure to provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed. The facility failed to maintain and provide necessary respiratory equipment for one resident. The resident uses an oxygen concentrator machine. It was observed that the nasal cannula tubing and humidifier bottle which need changed weekly were not labeled or dated. It was also discovered that the wrong tubing was being used.
Protecting Nursing Home Residents from Abuse
Using the ratings and health inspection reports on medicare.org should give you a good idea of what nursing homes to consider when you are shopping around for assisted living services. Additionally, you can also ask acquaintances, medical professionals, and local government agencies for recommendations or additional details about nursing homes in your area.
Levin & Perconti also suggests touring nursing homes before making a final decision. You can learn a lot about how a facility operates by seeing it in person and asking about things like staff qualifications, staff to resident ratios, and procedures for reporting abuse.
After your family member moves into assisted living, stay in touch and visit often. Nursing home residents who are isolated from friends and family are more likely to be victimized. Frequent visits allow you to monitor your loved one’s care and help them report anything that seems off. More frail residents may be unaware of or unable to report abuse and neglect, so it is up to you to be on the lookout for signs that they are suffering or being neglected.
Learn and look for signs of nursing home abuse and neglect.These signs may include
- Untreated severe bedsores
- Unexplained injuries like bruises, burns, or scars
- Evidence of poor circulation like sunken cheeks or eyes
- Weight loss or malnourishment not due directly to an illness
- Frequent trips to the emergency room or doctor
- Wrong type or the wrong amount of medication administered
- Poor hygiene or unwashed clothes or hair
- Instances of wandering or elopement
- Frequently misplaced or lost personal items
- A lack of basic necessities, including utilities, water, and food
- A dirty room or bathroom
- Frequent trouble sleeping
- Unusual violent or withdrawn behavior
- Sudden depression or confusion
- Signs of trauma like rocking back and forth
What to Do Next
If you ever have reason to believe your relative is receiving substandard care or is suffering from abuse or neglect at Heritage Health Normal or another nursing home, document your experience and follow the facility’s procedures for filing a complaint. Take your concerns to a staff supervisor or the facility administrator. They should take immediate action to correct the situation and prevent it from happening again.
However, if they do not take you seriously or fail to protect your loved one, you may need to seek outside help from a doctor, state agency, or your local long-term care ombudsman. Additionally, if your loved one has suffered personal harm, injury, or death, you may need legal aid.
If it comes to that, Levin & Perconti is here to help. As nationally recognized leaders in elder and nursing home abuse law.
When you work with our attorneys, you’ll have on your side extensive experience and a history of winning millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements against negligent Illinois nursing homes. We guide our clients every step of the way to reach the outcome you deserve. If it’s time to seek justice for your loved one, click or call Levin & Perconti at 888-424-5757 any time for a free consultation.
Disclaimer: The above health inspection findings are taken from public records kept and published by Medicare and the state of Illinois and are not complete. Levin & Perconti cannot confirm that this page’s content includes the latest information available. Any corrections or additions made to these public records after publication of this page will not be found here. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.il.gov or medicare.gov. This page is a legal advertisement and informational resource for visitors and is not endorsed by the named facility or any government agency. Levin & Perconti does not have any affiliation with the named facility.
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Legally Reviewed by
Steven M. Levin
Contact Us
- Free Consultation
- (312) 332-2872
Notable Results
VERDICT
on behalf of an 85-year-old woman injured in a nursing home when her medications were mismanaged.
VERDICT
for the estate of a 67-year-old man who died from complications related to a fall
SETTLEMENT
for a 59-year-old resident who developed multiple painful and infected bedsores which took four years to heal.
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325 N LaSalle Dr Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60654
312-332-2872
